16. Assurance of Salvation
Assurance of Salvation
I will not enter largely into the point, because I have spoken of it in other texts; but, forasmuch as concerneth this time, we must labour for that, without the which we cannot go through that which God calleth us to.
(1.) There be many duties and dispositions that God requires which we cannot be in without assurance of salvation on good grounds. What is that? God bids us be thankful in all things. How can I know that, unless I know God is mine and Christ is mine? Can I be thankful for that which I doubt of and think I ought to doubt of? Therefore it is such a state, without which I cannot perform other duty; and particularly the grand duty of thankfulness. And what a pitiful state is this, that a man should not be thankful for Christ, nor heaven, nor for the state of another world, that there should be such great matters, and yet they cannot thank God for them.
(2.) Again, God enjoineth us to rejoice. ’Rejoice, and again I say, rejoice,’ Philip, 4:4. Can a man rejoice that his name is written in heaven, and not know his name is written there? The disciples were very weak now; and yet, notwithstanding all their infirmities, they loved Christ; they cast themselves upon him, and had not chosen another Saviour. Therefore ’rejoice that your names are written in heaven,’ Luk 10:20, and how can a man rejoice that knoweth it not to be so? By God’s writing of the law in a man’s heart, he may know his name is written in heaven. Can a man always rejoice if he hath not grounds why?
(3.) Again, God requires cheerfulness. ’God loveth a cheerful giver,’ 2Co 9:7, and a cheerful doer. It is the disposition that is required in everything. ’Give me thy heart’ in everything thou dost, Pro 23:26. Alas! how can I perform cheerful service to God, when I doubt whether he be my God and Father or no? Shall not I labour for a heart to yield cheerful obedience? Doth it not come deadly off? Surely it doth. We ought to comfort ourselves; and how can a man comfort himself in a condition full of uncertainties? No comforts are comfortable without this, that God is our God and our Father. Unless we know this, comforts themselves are not comfortable unto us. None of the comforts we have, the comforts of this life, are not comforts to us when the soul saith, Perhaps God feeds me to slaughter; and, perhaps, I have these mercies as my portion in this world; and how can he be comfortable when he apprehendeth not, that they issue from a spring of love? Alas! comforts themselves are uncomfortable. And therefore shall not I labour for that without which I cannot be comforted? especially it being a disposition for our good to be thankful, and cheerful, and joyful, and large-hearted.
(4.) God requires a disposition in us that we should be full of encouragements, and strong in the Lord; and that we should be courageous for his cause in withstanding his enemies and our enemies. How can there be courage in resisting our corruptions, Satan’s temptations? How can there be courage in suffering persecution and crosses in the world, if there be not some particular interest we have in Christ and in God? It cannot be so. Unless we will deny obedience to all duty enjoyed,* we must have this assurance which enters into all, which is the spirit that quickeneth and enliveneth all. Therefore labour for it.
Use 2. Else we shall take away the grounds that God enforceth good duties from in Scripture, as he doth enforce duty from this ground, ’As elect, see ye put on bowels of compassion,’ Col 3:12. I beseech you, ’by the mercies of God, offer yourselves a sacrifice to God,’ Rom 12:1. Alas! I know not whether I shall have mercy or no. Why take away your ground and overthrow your principles? And therefore shall not we labour for that state of soul wherein we are fitted to be in that disposition, and to perform duty as God would have us? I therefore beseech you, labour for assurance of salvation. That we may maintain it the better, see the grounds of it. It is not in our perfection, for then the poor disciples, where had they been? Alas! they had dealt unfaithfully with Christ. But the ground of firmness is on God’s side, the certainty is on God’s part, not ours. Tell them, ’I go to my Father, and my God; and their Father and their God.’ Though we make breaches every day, yet God breaketh not, as Mal 3:6, ’Verily, I the Lord am not changeable; and therefore you are not consumed.’ We change, ebb and flow, are to and fro, up and down every day, varying in our dispositions. Though there be some root and seed of grace in us always, yet there is a change in our dispositions every day; but it holdeth on God’s part. And therefore Christ nameth not any qualification in them to build comfort on, but ’my God and your God’ will yet maintain the relation of a Father to you, that have not dealt as you should do; and maintaineth the relation of a God, notwithstanding your fall. So that we maintain not our assurance on any part in us, but on God’s love. ’Whom he loveth, he loveth to the end,’ John 13:1. Our God unchangeably loveth us, in whom there is not so much as a shadow of change. And therefore in the last of the Hebrews, it is called an ’everlasting covenant.’ ’The God of peace that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,’ Heb 13:20. By the blood of Christ there is an everlasting covenant. God will be our God to death, and in death, and for ever. For this relation being on God’s part, extendeth itself from forgiveness of sins to life everlasting. It is always. The blood of Christ is the blood of an everlasting covenant. ’I will marry thee to me for ever,’ Hos 2:19. It holdeth sure on God’s part.
Let us labour to maintain this assurance of salvation from God’s love.
Use 2. But for our comfort, we must do our parts too, though it begin with God. It beginneth on God’s part. He loveth us first, and embraceth us first; and we must love again, and embrace again. We must desire of God grace to answer relation. Therefore I will prescribe some rules, how we may say, God is our God, with comfort. That we may have the comfort of it, by making good our interest in him, to make it good that we are sons, as well as to call him Father; that we are his people, as well as to call him our God; his spouse, as well as call him our husband. And because this cometh from God, join this with all our endeavours: Lord, thou must begin; I desire to shew myself as a spouse to thee; but thou must discover thyself to me. I desire to love thee, but discover thy love first; all I can do is but reflection. Thou must shine on me first. So desire God to reveal himself more and more in Christ Jesus; and then we cannot but carry ourselves to him as we should do in our relation. This day we must perform the relation on our sides. There be two words that go to this heavenly bargain. The covenant consisteth of two parts. Now, desire God, by his grace, to enable us to do our part, for he doth both. And desire him, according to his promise, to teach us to love him, and ’to write his law in our hearts,’ Jer 31:33, to do what is good; and circumcise our hearts, and give his Holy Spirit. We ask no more than he hath promised, and so go boldly to him. Lord, thou hast made a covenant with us; we cannot keep it without thee. Thou hast not only promised grace and gifts, but the grace to perform the covenant on our parts must come from thee. And this God will do. Therefore in the use of means, attend upon him; and looking to him, we shall have grace to do our parts, and then maintain this assurance, without which we cannot live as Christians should live. That we may further maintain this relation, that God is our God, let us labour to get into Christ, for it is in him that God is our Father; and to grow up in Christ, to grow more and more, to grow up in faith and in all grace. A gracious Christian never wanteth arguments of assurance of salvation. It is the dead-hearted Christian, the careless Christian. Therefore labour, as to be in Christ, so to grow up in the knowledge of Christ. And so to know God in Christ, labour to see the face of God in Christ; for in him are all the beams of his love. As the beams of the sun in a glass are gathered, so the beams of all God’s love meet in Christ. So lovely is God in Christ, whatsoever we have in Christ it is from God in Christ. And whatsoever we have from God, it is through Christ; therefore grow in the knowledge of Christ, in faith in Christ. To this end are the sacraments, that we might grow up in him, and be fed into Christ. And then we may make right use of it, as the ordinance that God hath sanctified for this end. And as God doth take us out and set a stamp upon us, so labour to make choice of God more and more, and choice of God in Christ; for there be the two objects of our faith and love. Choose God for our God, and esteem him above all, and renounce all other, and resign ourselves wholly to him; for all is ours when God is ours. He setteth us apart from other men—taking us out—and appropriateth us to himself, chooseth us for his jewels. I beseech you, labour daily to choose God to be your God. If we say, we are God’s, let us make choice of him at the same time, and appropriate him with our choice. He is mine in particular. There is renunciation of all others. I have served other gods heretofore; the world, and the flesh, and the favour of man have been my god, but they shall be my god no more. If we choose him not, and appropriate him as ours, and renounce all other, and give ourselves to him, we cannot say he is ’our God.’ This we should practise every day. In the solicitation of sin, or despair for sin, make use of this choice, and appropriation, and resignation. If we be tempted to any sin, Why, I am not mine own, I am God’s. I have chosen him to be my God; I have appropriated myself to him; I have renounced all other; I have offered myself to him; therefore what have I to do with sin, with this temptation? I have taken the sacrament on it, that God is mine, and Christ is mine, with all his benefits. Therefore if there be any solicitation to sin, make this use of it; and so we shall grow in assurance of our interest in God, when we can make use of it on all occasions.
If when we be moved to any sin, by Satan, or our own flesh, which is a devil within us, this is contrary to my covenant, this is contrary to the renewing of the covenant, so often renewed in the sacrament, and therefore I will not commit it. It is contrary to the state I am advanced to, and contrary to my relation. God is my Father and my God, and therefore I must be his; and what have I to do with sin? What hath pride to do with a heart bequeathed to God? What hath lust and filthiness? What hath injustice, or anything else that is sinful, to do in a heart that hath dedicated and consecrated itself to God, who hath given up himself and all he can do, and to whom we have given up all we have? and shall we give our strength to sin and Satan, his enemies?
Thus we should grow in assurance, exercising the increase and knowledge of our interest. I beseech you, therefore, let us use these and the like things to make God our God. And if any temptation to sin be joined, as Satan cannot but solicit to sin, so he laboureth when we have sinned to tempt to despair for sin; for they be the two ways by which Satan prevails. Now, fetch comfort against both from hence, ’God is my God and my Father,’ and Christ teacheth them to call him so; and therefore, notwithstanding sin, I may go to God and call him Father. The disciples, though their sin was great, yet on their humility they were to acknowledge God to be their Father and their God. And therefore answer Satan: I ought not to abuse, and break off, and deny my interest in God as my Father and my God for any sin, because the disciples did not so; and Christ hath taught how to make use of God, and to acknowledge him for my comfort. We cannot have a better guide than God; and therefore never think of God but as ’our God and our Father,’ and labour to answer all Satan’s temptations in that kind from hence.
Use 4. Again, This assurance, that God is our God in Christ, and our Father, is wrought by the sealing of the Spirit, and sanctifying of us; therefore take heed we grieve not the Spirit of God. God’s Spirit moveth our hearts oftentimes in hearing the word, or reading, or praying; when we have any good motions, or when we entertain them; and therefore do not grieve the Spirit of God, whose office is ’to seal us to the day of redemption,’ to assure us God is our God and our Father in Christ. Grieve him not, lest he grieve us, by racking and tormenting our consciences. That is the way to maintain our interest. Take heed of crossing the Spirit, especially by any sin against conscience. Conscience is God’s deputy. Grieve not the Spirit. Grieve not conscience, for conscience is God’s deputative. It is a little god within us. And therefore, if we will not alienate God from us, to whom we have given ourselves if we be true believers, do nothing against his deputy and agent, the Spirit that sanctifieth and sealeth us to the day of redemption. This is the way to maintain assurance, that God is our God. For men may be led with a spirit of presumption, and say, God is my God. But if conscience telleth them, they live in sin against conscience and the motions of the Spirit, and suppress them, and kill them, as births that they would not have grow in their hearts; then they cannot say God is my God, but conscience telleth them they lie. And therefore, I beseech you, labour for an holy life. That faith that maketh this claim, that God is my Father and my God, is a purifying faith, 1Jn 3:3. It is a faith quickening the soul, a faith purifying, a faith cleansing. Faith is wonderfully operative, especially having these promises. What promises? ’I will be your God and your Father.’ ’Having such promises, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit, and grow up in all holiness in the fear of the Lord.’ And therefore labour for that faith that layeth hold upon this privilege, God is our Father and our God. Make it good by this, that it be a purifying faith, an operative faith, that worketh by love, that sheweth itself in our conversation. The more we labour and grow this way, the more we grow in assurance of salvation.
Beloved, favour cannot be maintained with great persons without much industry, and respect, and observance of distance. A man that will maintain the favour of great persons must be well read in their dispositions, must know how to please them, and yield them all observance and respect. And shall we think then to preserve respect with God without much industry and holiness? It cannot be. ’And therefore give all diligence,’ not a little, ’to make your calling and election sure,’ 2Pe 1:10. It requireth all diligence, it is worth your pains. We live on this, that he is our God, and will be our God to death and in death, for ever and ever. That God is our God to everlasting, that he is of an equal extent with the soul, he liveth to fill it and make it happy, our souls being of an eternal subsistence. Therefore it standeth us upon ’to give all diligence to make our calling and election sure,’ else it will not be maintained. Why do not Christians enjoy the comforts of this, that God is their God in Christ, more than they do? The reason is, they be negligent to maintain intercourse between God and them. We must know our distances, there must be reverent carriage to God, Psa 2:11. A loose Christian can never enjoy the comforts of God. He is so great, and we so mean, we ought to reverence him, we ought to ’love him with fear, and rejoice with trembling,’ Psa 2:11. Humble thyself to walk with thy God. Where there is a great deal of humility, it maintaineth friendship. We cannot walk with God as a friend, as Abraham is said to be God’s friend. We must acknowledge ourselves to be ’dust and ashes,’ know him in his greatness, and ourselves in our meanness, if he will maintain this to our hearts, that God is our God. If we be careful to maintain this, surely he that delighteth himself in the prosperity of his servants will delight to make himself more and more known to us, that we may be assured of our salvation.
All that hear me are such as have not yet made choice of God to be their God, or have made choice. Let me speak a word to both; for there be many that yet have their choice to make, that have other lords and other gods to rule over them. Let them consider what a fearful state it is not to be able to say, in regard of life everlasting, ’God is my God and my Father.’ They can say they be God’s creatures; but what a fearful condition is it not to be able to say, God is my Father. Will not these know whom he is not a God to in favour, he will be a God to in vengeance? He must be a friend or enemy. There is no third in God. God and the devil divide all mankind. They share all. If thou be not God’s, and canst not say so on good titles, thou art the devil’s. Yet God is daily pulling men out of the kingdom of the devil, by opening their eyes to see their miserable condition; yet all go under these two grand titles, God’s and the devil’s. If thou canst not say, God is thy God, then the devil is thy god; and what a fearful condition is it to be under the god of the world by a worldly, carnal disposition! And perhaps thou mayest die so, if thou be not careful to get out of it. If God be not our God, he is our enemy; and then creatures, angels, devils are against us, conscience against us, word against us. If he be for us, who is against us? If he be against us, who is for us? A terrible condition, and therefore get out of it, I beseech you. But how shall I do? Is there mercy for such a wretch? Yea, he offereth himself to be thy God if thou wilt come in. Wherefore serveth our ministry, the word of grace, but to preach life to all repentant sinners. ’He that confesseth and forsaketh his sins shall have mercy.’ And therefore God hath ordained ambassadors of peace to proclaim if you will come in. And he entreateth you to come in, and he chargeth and commandeth you. You be rebels, not only against him, but enemies to your own souls if you do not. And therefore I beseech you, if you be not yet come in. Add this more, you be sacrilegious persons if you be not Christians in earnest. Have not you given yourselves to God in baptism? And have not you in your lives given yourselves to lusts which you renounced at your baptism? Now you have alienated yourselves from God, to whom you were dedicated. Did not you engage yourselves to God in your baptism? And is not he willing to receive you? He thought of you when you could not think of yourselves. And therefore, as it bindeth you over to greater punishment if you will not come in, but continue sacrilegious persons from God to whom you have dedicated yourselves, so God preventeth* you with mercy.
He encourageth by the seal of election in baptism to make it good by faith, without which it will do no good, being but a seal to a blank. Therefore how many encouragements have you to come in? Take God’s gracious offer. He giveth you time. Make your peace. It is nothing but wilful rebellion to stand out against God. For they that have given themselves to God, and now renewed their interest in him by the sacraments, let them conceive what a word of comfort they have in this, that Christ is theirs and God is theirs. What an ocean of comforts is it when all things leave you, as all things will; yet we have God, that will be a God for evermore. At the time of death, what comfort will it be to say, God is mine, Christ is mine. Life is mine no longer; world is mine no longer; friends forsake me, but I am interested in God, and have made covenant with God, who is a God for ever. The covenant I have made is an ’everlasting covenant.’ It is of that largeness, the comfort is, that the angels themselves admire it,* the devils envy it, and it is a matter of glory and praise in heaven for ever. Therefore make much of such a privilege, that is the envy of devils, the admiration of angels, that is the joy of a Christian’s heart here, and matter of glorifying God for ever, world without end. That God in Christ is become his God here and for ever, it is a ravishing consideration. It is larger than our hearts. Here be comforts larger than the capacity of our hearts. Cor vestrum soli Deo patere debet: our hearts ought all to lie open to divine things, for they have more in them than the heart can contain. If we will shut them, shut them to worldly things. Oh the comfort of a Christian that hath made his state sure: let him glory in the Lord.
There be three degrees of glory in all. Let him glory under hope of glory, glory in afflictions, and glory in God; that is, we glory in God to be our God. That in the sharing and dividing of all things God hath given himself to us; and what an offer is this, that when God divideth this world to the children of men, you shall have this and that, but you shall not have me. But to his children he hath given himself, and he hath nothing better to give, and indeed there is nothing else needs. For there is more in it than we can speak. But that when God divideth all things he should give such a share as himself, is not this a glory, that a poor creature should have God to be his, and all he hath to be his, to make use of it in life and in death? It is worth all the world; it is worth our endeavours ’to make our calling and election sure,’ when we may have this comfort from it, 2Pe 1:10.
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